Seta Tsukiwa Driving School Co., Ltd.
Shiga Prefecture’s first driving school starts [private ambulance] [welfare taxi] service
In addition to aiming to relieve the strain on ambulance dispatch, we aim to contribute to society as a local traffic safety center by providing welfare taxi services.
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Tsukinowa Driving School (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, President: Toshifumi Maehara) started operating the welfare taxi “Tsukinowa Clover Taxi” in May 2024. Additionally, on June 4th, we received certification from the Otsu City Fire Department as a private emergency service. As a local company, we aim to provide services by leveraging the know-how in safe driving management that we have cultivated at our driving school in order to resolve the ambulance shortage. Aiming to create a society where people can live their lives with peace of mind, we will strengthen our efforts to respond to the rapidly aging society by providing transportation support for the elderly.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/89973/8/resize/d89973-8-6181f9d6f786ab71d018-2.jpg&s3=89973-8-e91e9bdb466f7d9127518d6409cb139c-2000×1413.jpg] Background of service launch
Our company will conduct training for 3,284 elderly people in 2023. Among them, very few people considered voluntarily surrendering their driver’s licenses. Many participants gave reasons such as “I have bad feet and don’t have a way to get to the hospital,” and “There are no bus stops nearby, so shopping is difficult,” and an increasing number of participants are feeling anxious about transportation in their daily lives.
We have been searching for support measures for many years so that elderly people can return their belongings with peace of mind. Therefore, we decided to start a welfare taxi service that can also be used by private emergency services, in order to contribute to creating a community where everyone in the area can live with peace of mind, regardless of their license return or car ownership status.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/89973/8/resize/d89973-8-d50200fcc8018d0b4997-3.jpg&s3=89973-8-107e5de5414e60926c228fdfa7a20021-2255×1570.jpg] Vehicle used (Alphard, Hiace)
I want to protect “lives that could be saved” as a private emergency service. Currently, the shortage of ambulances has become a serious social issue, making it difficult to provide prompt medical response. As the number of ambulance calls increases nationwide, the number of ambulance calls in Otsu City in 2023 reached a record high of 20,795, exceeding 20,000 calls for the first time. This includes cases where an ambulance may not have been necessary, and there is a risk that an ambulance will be delayed in reaching a person who urgently needs to be transported to a hospital.
According to the 2022 survey, the percentage of Shiga Prefecture ambulances being dispatched to patients with mild symptoms who did not require hospitalization (mild symptoms refers to those who did not require hospitalization and were sent home after medical examination) was 59.8%. This is the highest percentage in Japan, along with Kyoto. In Otsu City in 2023, it is reported to be 68.5%, which is a very high percentage compared to the national average of 48.4% in prefectural statistics.
Therefore, as a local company, we decided to proactively address this issue. Our professional staff, who have received fire department training, place the safety and health of our patients first and fulfill our mission of supporting the safety and health of local residents.
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/89973/8/resize/d89973-8-c20c4293284899d88901-1.jpg&s3=89973-8-5c8a77fe084dab60b087d889fd2bfaf9-3900×2756.jpg] Patient transportation crew basic training scene
Private emergency services (patient transportation business): Operated by private companies, etc., and generally target patients with low emergencies or patients who require planned transportation. Its purpose is to support the original role of fire and rescue services, but unlike an ambulance, it cannot perform emergency driving. It is mainly used for commuting from facilities and transfers between hospitals. It can also be used in cases where transportation is difficult, such as during ceremonial occasions or when traveling. Strengths of driving school management
We thought we could provide a safe and comfortable transportation service by leveraging the driving skills and safety management know-how we cultivated at the driving school. All of our staff are driven by professional drivers who have been trained at a driving school, allowing us to provide the highest level of driving skills. In fact, approximately 90% of the drivers in charge are active driving instructors. (As of June 2024)
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/89973/8/resize/d89973-8-e1189aae901a466108e3-4.jpg&s3=89973-8-d89c52a8b08aa762a2a1b8a26ab296e4-3008×2000.jpg] All drivers have completed “nursing care worker training”
In order to provide wheelchair assistance and safe transportation, our drivers have acquired qualifications for “Nursing Care Worker Training” and provide courteous services tailored to the needs of users. Having a driver who not only drives safely, but also
understands the feelings of the users, makes it possible for them to use the service with peace of mind. In addition, the vehicles are equipped with dedicated ramps and lifts to allow users in wheelchairs to get on and off the vehicle smoothly.
[Image 5: https://prtimes.jp/i/89973/8/resize/d89973-8-4613df78d0b2c4ff76db-0.jpg&s3=89973-8-83eff0896d29a19724e9c2178f209596-3900×2756.jpg] Training session for new nursing staff (Mirai Care College Kusatsu Campus) from now on
In the future, we aim to go beyond just a transportation service to provide a welfare service that can meet the diverse needs of users. We would like to listen to the voices of our users and provide them with the support they need in daily life, such as shopping assistance, and care that meets their wishes.
We actively provide services that meet local needs and contribute to the local community, strive to create a better local community, and take on the responsibility of acting as a local traffic safety center from the time we obtain a driver’s license until after it is returned. I’m thinking of going.
Source: “Reiwa 5th Edition Current Situation of Emergency Rescue” (Fire and Disaster Management Agency)
(https://www.fdma.go.jp/publication/rescue/post-5.html)
“Number of emergency dispatches during 2020 (preliminary figures)” (Fire and Disaster Management Agency)
(https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01shoubo01_02000838.html) (Otsu City Fire Department)
(https://www.city.otsu.lg.jp/fire119/kyukyu/info/26092.html) More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000008.000089973.html